How Culture affects Learning
Cultural differences can affect the ability of an individual to learn or teach. In a multicultural setting, students with different cultures get to learn together. The individual cultural beliefs and practices, the cultures of their peers and that of their teachers can affect the way they learn in class. For instance, some teachers come hierarchical cultures while others' cultures favor equality. Teachers from hierarchical cultures often expect their students to regard them with respect. In such learning settings, discussions between students and teachers may be discouraged. However, teachers whose cultures favor equality tend to socialize more with their students, acting as facilitators and encouraging debates and discussions (Arpaci, 2015). In such a learning environment student are free to ask questions and engage in discussions. Students tend to learn more when they are allowed to ask questions and also allowed to conduct and engage in discussions.
Many students in the U.S. have come to pursue education from African countries, Asian countries, the Middle East and other places around the world. While individualism influences the education system in western countries, most foreign students are used to a community-oriented form of education. In the U.S. for instance, students are expected to be independent and not collaborate or copy their peers' work. Students whose cultures favors communitarianism will struggle while learning in a western country such as the United States.
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Sociocultural influences on ELLs
Social and cultural factors may hold a student back and make it difficult for that student to learn. English language learners often face the challenge of having to learn in a ‘strange’ environment. As English is the most common language in the U.S., being an ELL student in the United States means such a student comes from a different cultural background. Some of the traditions in the United States include Halloween and Christmas, as most people are Christians. An ELL student from the Middle East may have problems attending class or learning as his or her culture greatly clashes with that of the teachers or his/her pears. An ELL student does not only have to learn English or simply take lessons and go home. These students also have to learn how to cope with the new cultural environment. They feel awkward when they get to learn about things which clash with their cultural values or when other students talk about things such as Halloween. These sociocultural factors greatly influence ELL students and their learning (August & Shanahan, 2017).
Bilingualism and Home Language Use in ELL Classroom Learning
Bilingualism generally refers to an individual’s ability to speak two different languages. In the U.S. it is estimated that about twenty-two percent of school-aged kids speak another language other than English while at home. Home languages shape the identity of children and create a connection between children and the culture and heritage. However, if English is discouraged at home, for ELL students, it can greatly affect the child's motivation to learn the language. At the same time, bilingual students and ELL students should be encouraged to use their home language while in the classroom in order to make more comfortable (Myles & Mitchell, 2014).
References
Arpaci, I. (2015). A comparative study of the effects of cultural differences on the adoption of mobile learning. British Journal of Educational Technology , 46 (4), 699-712.
August, D., & Shanahan, T. (2017). Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth . Routledge.
Myles, F., & Mitchell, R. (2014). Second language learning theories . Routledge.
